I. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to display systems, and more particularly to methods and apparatuses that provide coherent and incoherent lighting sources within the same display system.
II. Background Discussion
Electronic devices are ubiquitous in society and can be found in everything from wristwatches to computers. Many of these electronic devices include the ability to display images to the user of the electronic device, such as by projecting the displayed images through a lens onto a screen or backdrop. Conventional projectors include so called “laser projectors,” which render images using coherent laser light as opposed to projectors using incoherent incandescent light sources. While the laser display systems may offer greater resolution than non-laser based display systems, they often consume greater amounts of power. Because of their greater power consumption requirements, laser based display systems also may include complicated cooling circuitry and thus result in more bulky projection equipment.
Another issue with laser display systems versus non-laser based display systems is the so called “speckle” problem. “Speckling” refers to an interference in the intensity of highly coherent light, such as laser light, which may result from the laser striking a rough surface. The overall effect of speckle in laser display systems is that the image may appear grainy. Furthermore, laser light sources are often more costly than other non-laser light sources, making laser based display systems more expensive. Accordingly, display systems that embrace the desirable features of laser light sources while overcoming the undesirable features of non-laser light sources may be useful.